Page 26 of My Ex for Christmas
Hadley sets her fork on her empty plate. Shaking her head, she says, “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Her fingers twist nervously in the hem of her shirt—myshirt. “After I woke up, I was kind of freaking out, and then when you caught me, I panicked. And I got defensive. SoI’msorry. And…” She lifts her head, gaze meeting mine again. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye.”
That was the one thing I had asked of her when she broke up with me. I knew she was leaving for Brazil and that we were over, but I wanted the chance to see her off, at least.
I swallow the old emotions that crawl up my throat. “Me, too.”
Silence settles between us again. This time, it’s slightly less comfortable. We’re both in our heads, it seems, thinking about our relationship’s end.
“I can go,” she says quietly. Where she thinks she’s going to go, I have no idea. “You probably have work to do.”
I shake my head. “Margaret closed the bar. I have the whole day free.”
“Where’s your laptop, then? I can just go downstairs and work until the roads get cleared.”
She’s still trying to keep out of my way. But I want her here, in my space. In my life. I always have.
“Don’t have one.”
“A desktop?”
“Nope.”
She blinks. “You don’t have acomputer?” she asks incredulously. “Have you gone full mountain man on me?”
This pulls a laugh from deep in my chest. “My old one broke. Most of the stuff I’d need a computer for can be done on my phone, and when it can’t, I borrow someone else’s or go to the library.”
“And let me guess, the bar doesn’t have one either?”
I grin. “You’re catching on. Margaret is allergic to technology,so she’d drop dead if someone tried to bring a computer into her bar. We don’t even accept credit cards.”
She huffs. “Well, what am I supposed to do all day?”
I lean back in my chair, my grin turning into a smirk. “Looks like you’ll just have to spend some time with me, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 10
HADLEY
I officially hate the snow.
I should be well on my way back to the resort by now. Instead, I’m trapped at Dirty Dick’s with my ex. My ex who I just slept with.
Looks like you’ll just have to spend some time with me, sweetheart.
Even with that stupidly smug expression on his face, Brooks looked like everything I desire sitting across from me at the table. Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous being in his proximity?
What happened last night is a clear indication that I can’t resist him.
Why are you trying?
The million-dollar question. Sam would be yelling at me right now if she knew. She was devastated when she had heard that we had broken up. At fifteen, she hadn't understood why I would let him go.
I shake my head, trying to rid myself of these thoughts. They won’t do me any good.
“Stupid snow,” I mutter.
Holding my phone up to the window, I cross my fingers for stronger service. Anything, really. But even sneaking downstairsafter our second movie ended hasn’t yielded any results. One measly bar is all I have, and all of my texts remain undelivered.
“What are you doing down here?”
